Geologists witness unique volcanic mudflow in action in New Zealand
... Fagents and colleagues were there on a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project to study the long-forecast Crater Lake break-out lahar at Mount Ruapehu. A lahar is a type of mudflow composed of water and other sediment that flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley....Yin and yang -- Balance could play key role in progression of Alzheimer's disease
... "We have found that two peptides, AB42 and AB40, must be in balance for normal function," said Chunyu Wang, lead researcher and assistant professor of biology at R...UCLA researchers discover novel pathway that may promote immune system balance
... ... The big picture message in this study is the finding of a new cellular pathway that operates to restr...Asymmetry due to perfect balance
Cell membranes are like two-dimensional fluids whose molecules are distributed evenly through lateral diffusion. But many important cellular processes depend on cortical polarity, the locally elevated concentration of specific membrane proteins. Roland Wedlich-Soldner at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany, and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School, Boston, The St...Growth factor signals influence balance between normal growth and cancerous growth
... ... New research from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine deepens the understanding of how the growth...Springer author Alan Hastings wins Robert H. MacArthur Award
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has given the Robert H. MacArthur Award to Alan Hastings for outstanding ecological achievement. He is distinguished for the breadth, quality, and impact of his scientific articles, many of which have become classics. Publishing over 170 peer-reviewed papers on topics ranging from metapopulation theory to conservation biology, Hastings's research has laun...Stimulation of the semicircular canals can artificially control human walking and balance
By applying electrical currents across the heads of people while they walk, researchers have improved our understanding of how our vestibular system helps us maintain upright posture; at the same time, the researchers found that the stimulus could be applied in a way that allowed a person who was walking straight ahead to be steered by "remote control" without her balance being affected. The fin...Egg donation for stem cell research -- balancing the risks and benefits
In the wake of the scandal involving fraudulent cloning research, concerns about the welfare of women donating eggs for research purposes have arisen. Finding a way to balance the welfare of donors and the promise held out by embryonic stem cell research is vital, a bioethicist will tell the 22nd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Prague on Tuesday 2...Wildlife conservation and energy dev't study seeks balance in Rockies
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) today--with key support from leading energy producers in the Rockies--released first-year results from a study on how natural gas development in the Rockies might be influencing wildlife, particularly pronghorn antelope....... The report--titled The Wildlife and Energy Development Report--represents initial data of a yet-to-be-completed five-year study by W...Striking the right balance between excitation and inhibition
La Jolla, CA - Neurons in the brain and spinal cord come in two flavors, excitatory neurons that transmit and amplify signals, and inhibitory neurons that inhibit and refine those signals. Although investigators have long appreciated that these two classes of neurons exist in the central nervous system, little is known about how cells decide to become inhibitory or excitatory during embryonic de...The results are in: Bacterial parasite strives for balance in host infection
When horror-movie writers run out of ideas, they can always turn to parasites. Imagine the possibilities with flesh-eating bacteria, suicide-inducing hairworms, scalp burrowing botflies--and castrating parasites. Such debilitating effects are an inevitable consequence of infection, but it is in the parasite's interest to avoid killing the host until it can transmit a new crop of pathogens. In t...Imbalance may trigger advance from fatty liver to liver failure
An imbalance in the lipid content of the liver appears to trigger the downward spiral that leads some with fatty liver disease to advance to full-blown liver failure, according to a new study in the May Cell Metabolism....... Researchers at the University of Alberta, Edmonton found evidence in mice that a disproportionate ratio of two phospholipid constituents of cell membranes undermines membran...Balancing male fertility and disease resistance
An international collaboration of researchers, headed by Dr. Shiping Wang (Huazhong Agricultural University, China) has discovered that a single gene in rice regulates both male fertility and pathogen resistance, providing an unexpected genetic link between reproductive success and the disease resistance. ...... Dr. Wang and colleagues characterized a new disease resistance (R) gene in rice, xa13...A balancing act between the sexes
Recent research at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) reveals new insights into how cells achieve equality between the sexes. A new link discovered between the membrane surrounding the nucleus and the male X-chromosome in fruit flies may play a crucial role in determining how active certain genes are. The study, which appears in the current issue of the journal Molecular Cell, may h...Ironman study redefines fine-tuned: Balance training time with blood pressure variability
BETHESDA, MD (March 6, 2006) -- With thoughts of the Winter Olympics waning, perhaps it's time to turn athletic training preparations toward the November Kona (Hawaii) Ironman competition, the 2008 Summer Olympic triathlon, or your local marathon or 10K....... Worried about the training time commitment involved? Concerned how long it might take you to stand up without fainting afterwards? Fear no...Liggins Institute Director wins a 'World Class New Zealand' award
Liggins Institute Director Professor Peter Gluckman last night won the science-related sector of the World Class New Zealand Awards, which recognise successful New Zealanders who enhance the nation's growth and development by being world class in their field. ...... The awards are presented by Kea and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise....... Now in their third year, the awards are one of New Zeala...New Zealand tops environmental scorecard at World Economic Forum in Davos
New Haven, Conn. -- New Zealand ranks first in the world in environmental performance, according to the at Yale University and the Earth Institute at Columbia University.... ...The 2006 EPI, to be released Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum on January 26, ranks Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom two to five respectively. The top-ranked countrie...Reactive oxygen species shown essential for development of inner ear's balance machinery
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are normally produced as a product of metabolism, and, as their name implies, they are highly reactive with surrounding biological components. The ability of ROS to damage DNA and other critical molecules underlies their reputation for causing deleterious cellular effects and their association with aging, carcinogenesis, and atherosclerosis. However, in an unanticipa...Stevens Professor Alan Blumberg to speak at New York Public Library
Alan F. Blumberg, a Professor of Ocean Engineering in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, will present a talk and slide show, "The Waters Around Manhattan: Balancing Human Uses and The Natural Environment "at The New York Public Library, Tuesday, May 2, 2006. The event is part of an ongoing lecture series sponsored by the Science, Indus...NCAR study: Trade imbalance shifts US carbon emissions to China, boosts global total
BOULDER- The growth of Chinese imports in the U.S. economy boosted the total emissions of carbon dioxide (a primary greenhouse gas) from the two countries by over 700 million metric tons between 1997 and 2003, according to a study published online in the journal Energy Policy. The analysis, prepared by two scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, suggests that American emission...Lost neurons affect energy balance
Attaining and maintaining a healthy body weight is achieved by the regulation of energy homeostasis. Energy homeostasis, the ability of an organism or cell to maintain normal biological states during adjustments to environmental changes, is governed by complex neuronal circuitry and numerous signaling molecules. When control mechanisms for energy homeostasis go wrong, the result is weight los...Statement from Dr. Alan I. Leshner, CEO of AAAS, on the Kansas State Board of Education vote
A statement from Dr. Alan I. Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and executive publisher of the journal Science, regarding the 8 November 2005 vote by the Kansas State Board of Education: ... ..."Along with thousands of Kansas scientists, educators and other residents, we are deeply disturbed by the vote taken today by the Kansas State Board of Education. No ma...CD32a and CD32b: A balancing act to generate immunity or tolerance
Clinical reports show that polymorphisms in a receptor called CD32 influence the response to antibody therapy in cancer. In a paper appearing online on September 15 in advance of print publication of the October 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Adam Boruchov and colleagues from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center dissect the contributions of CD32 isoforms in human dendritic c...Chemical imbalance may explain painkiller's cardiac danger
The increased rate of cardiovascular complications in patients taking the cox-2 inhibitor painkiller rofecoxib (Vioxx) may result from a chemical imbalance, according to an animal study in the September Cell Metabolism. The findings suggest that low-dose aspirin might prevent the cardiac damage of such drugs and might also lead to the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs without the adverse...Leptin-signaling protein maintains normal body weight and energy balance in mice
ANN ARBOR, Mich. What do laboratory mice at the University of Michigan Medical School have in common with millions of overweight Americans? Like many of us, these mice just can't stop eating. ...... They weigh twice as much as their littermates, consume nearly two times as much food, have elevated fatty acid and triglyceride levels, are resistant to insulin, and often develop type 2 diabetes.......More than aiding balance, vestibular organs provide an on-line movement guidance system
Anyone who's had to find his or her way through a darkened room can appreciate that nonvisual cues play a large role in our sense of movement. What might be less apparent is that not all such cues come from our remaining four senses. ... ...In a finding that broadens our understanding of human movement control, researchers at the Institute of Neurology in London have shown that the inner-ear vest...Scientists find evidence of catastrophic sand avalanches, sea level changes in Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico, 130 miles south of Galveston, Texas -- An international team of marine research scientists working for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) have found new evidence that links catastrophic sand avalanches in deep Gulf waters to rapid sea level changes. By analyzing downhole measurements and freshly retrieved sediment cores, IODP scientists are reconstructing the history...Logging changed ecological balance for monkeys, damaged health
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Twenty-eight years after intense selective logging stopped in the region now known as Uganda's Kibale National Park, the red-tailed guenon (Cercophithecus ascanius) is a primate still in decline. The logging practice, scientists report in a new study, changed the ecological balance for these monkeys, leading to behavioral changes and opening the door for multiple parasitic infe...Optimizing cell therapy against tumors is a balancing ACT
... ...Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) therapy is used to treat patients with metastatic solid tumors. ACT involves the removal of some of the patient's cancer cells, and some of their immune T cells. When the cells are mixed together, specific parts of the cancer cells that stimulate the T cells to cause an immune attack can be identified. The T cells get expanded and re-infused into the patient...AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner urges US to continue collecting job data on women workers
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The American Association for the Advancement of Science on Wednesday (18 May) urged the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to continue the collection of employer job counts of female workers, saying such data are crucial to understanding links between gender, income and productivity....... , joined thousands of organizations and private individuals who have opposed the plan announ...Newly discovered genetic disease sheds light on body's water balance
Two infant boys whose bodies were overloaded with excess fluid have led UCSF pediatricians to the discovery of a new genetic disease. In the process, they have discovered a rare type of mutation where different substitutions in a single amino acid cause two different, opposite genetic disorders....... ....... "This discovery gives better insights into treating these patients and potentially many...Cholesterol-regulating protein maintains fat-storage, fat-burning balance
DALLAS April 12, 2005 A protein that regulates cholesterol levels in the body also is responsible for maintaining a healthy balance between fat storage and fat burning, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center study that may lead to new drug targets in the fight against obesity.... In animals and humans, a protein called the liver X receptor, or LXR, senses cholesterol levels. When these...New Zealand forest giant prevents landslides
The colossal kauri trees prevent landslides on landslide-prone slopes. This is the conclusion of Dutch-funded researcher Lieven Claessens, who developed a model for predicting landslides in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park in New Zealand. ...... Claessens has discovered that the kauri trees in New Zealand prevent landslides. When these enormous conifers reached a certain age, they stabilise are...Balancing 'hysteria and suspicion': Doctors face new responsibilities in 'bioterrorism era'
ST. LOUIS -- The emergence of bioterrorism as a threat is creating new responsibilities for the medical community and, for the first time in history, is putting physicians at the forefront of managing disaster, according to an article by Saint Louis University researchers in The Lancet. ... ..."Unlike other forms of terrorism, in which an acute exposure or traumatic injury is rapidly inflicted an...Balancing act at chromosome ends
Each of our 46 chromosomes is capped by a telomere a long stretch of repeated DNA (TTAGG). Telomeres play a key protective function in our cells, and now Dr. In Kwon Chung and colleagues at Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea) and the University of Central Florida reveal a novel mechanism to modulate telomere length....... Their work will be published in the April 1st issue of Genes & Development......AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner registers 'strong concerns' over suppression of science films
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The following letter was sent Monday 28 March 2005 to 410 members of the by Alan I Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and executive publisher of the journal Science. The letter was prompted by recent reports that Imax theaters in at least a dozen U.S. cities have declined to show films that endorse the science of evolution.... ... ...Dear Co...AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner welcomes proposed Washington state legislation on stem cell research
WASHINGTON, D.C.-AAAS has welcomed efforts by Washington state legislators to pass a bill banning reproductive cloning in the state while allowing research on human embryonic stem cells. ...... In letters sent to two sponsors of the bill, Alan I. Leshner, the chief executive officer of AAAS and executive publisher of the journal , reaffirmed the association's position that cloning to extract ste...Physicists discover temperature key to avalanche movement
100 years after Einstein's landmark work on Brownian motion, physicists have discovered a new concept of temperature that could be the key to explaining how ice and snow particles flow during an avalanche, and could lead to a better way of handling tablets in the pharmaceutical industry. This research is reported today in a special Einstein Year issue of the New Journal of Physics ( ) published j...BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Meeting a friend you haven't seen in years brings on a sudden surge of pleasant memories. You might even call it an avalanche. ......Recent studies suggest that avalanches in your brain could actually help you to store memories. Last year, scientists at the National Institutes of Health placed slices of rat brain tissue on a microelectrode array and found that the brain cell...Washington, DC -- A statement from Dr. Alan I....Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the...Advancement of Science and executive publisher of...the journal Science, on the debate over research...cloning that is scheduled to begin at the United...Nations on Thursday 21 October 2004:... ..."We realize that this issue generates intense...debate. We have long opposed human cloning to...pro...